Tag Archives: fall

I love adding new decorating elements and accessories to my home, and with the change in seasons, there are plenty of fun shopping options to pull in colors of the season. This weekend, one of the quickest ways to add fresh autumn colors is to decorate your front entrance.

Though I adore summer and all the fun beach activities, I’ll have to admit; fall is my second favorite time of year on the east coast. A time for cozy sweaters, cuddling with my pooch and enjoying a delicious hot tea! Here is a list of 5 trends you will see this fall in home decorating:

1. Relaxed and Comfortable

More and more I find my clients looking to make their space useful, to maximize their homes to their lifestyle. I find people shying away from “formal” rooms and wanting space that have clean lines, yet relaxed and comfortable to support everyday life. Last week I focused on, How to Create a Comfortable Home, going over a few cozy decorating styles that you may want to revisit for more ideas on this topic. Consider adding floor pillows or as the Japanese use, the Zabuton.

2. Velvet

I love the soft and warm feel of velvet, the vibrant, intense colors, and variety of color. It offers a feeling of richness to any room instantly. Look for a mixture of synthetic and natural fabrics for long lasting velvet. If you don’t want to commit to a piece of furniture, add velvet pillows and throws and gain the benefit. Learn more about the various types of velvet by clicking here.

3. Woven textiles and Inspiration of Nature

Add a lovely tapestry, an arrangement that includes natural elements found in your area, or a piece of furniture that is hand-made. The trend is more toward artisan work and not mass produced. I know this can be expensive; however, think of adding a woven ottoman, for example:

5. Jewel Tone Paint, Furniture, and Accessories

You will find lovely jewel tone colors in all facets of home decorating this fall. From kitchen cabinets to accent walls and pieces, there are many examples of lovely jewel toned home decorating elements, click here to view.

As we go from summer to fall here on the East coast, some of the plants in our containers look shabby or have died. I have a few ideas to help you give them a fresh look as we go into Fall. The first thing you need to do is remove all the dead or dying plants and assess what is salvageable. Here are five ways you can keep your outdoor containers looking great:

1. Add ornamental grass for height and color.

If your vines still look good and all your annuals are gone, replace them with a lovely ornamental grass. One of my favorites is the Purple Fountain Grass because of its beautiful color, texture, and height.

2. Fill empty spots with branches or twigs.

If your container needs instant height, take some cuttings from your trees and strategically place them in the center of the container to add interest. If you want a particular color, use spray paint. My recommendation, keep the colors based on the colors of the season. If you don’t have trees to cut from, go to your local craft store and go through the dried or silk floral area and find the shape, height, color that you want to use to fill in empty spots.

3. Add late blooming plants.

Go to your local garden center to find the best options. In our area, Cone Flowers, Black-eyed Susan, Zinnia, and Pansies continue to bloom into the fall. Though it may seem too early for Chrysanthemum, you will see them in your garden centers, incorporate them into existing pots to add color and interest! There are also cooler weather succulents that you can add, again check your local garden center for options.

4. Fill in bare areas with accessories.

Does is sound crazy to add accessories to your containers? Why not! Think about adding a Mirror Globe gazing ball that will reflect the colors from existing plants and fill up space. Or, add a solar-powered lantern for interest during the day or night. If you already have a lantern you want to use, add an outdoor battery-powered candle (that has a timer). Do you have a favorite yard statue or a garden gnome? Consider moving it to the bare area of your pot for a whimsical look.

5. Reshuffle your pots and arrange them for interest.

Move your pots around to create a color interest. Consolidate containers to maximize interest in one pot. If all the flowers in small pots have died, consider placing them in the center of a larger pot, based on color and insert tree cuttings or twigs to achieve the desired height.

I hope these five tips help you enjoy your outdoor time as long as possible this summer season! If you need home decorating or home staging assistance, give me a call 610.955.8202 or email, I would love to help!

We are in that transitional time when the temperatures during the day remain warm and the evening temperatures are cooler. The days are shorter than they were, and it is officially autumn. With the change of seasons, I wanted to give you a quick reference, a checklist of ten items to ensure your home stays in its best health.

10 Home Items to Check this Fall

After all the leaves have fallen, clean out the gutters and downspouts, inspect joints, and tighten brackets if necessary.

Caulk around windows and door frames to prevent heat from escaping.

You can quickly add a new look to the outside of your home by changing the color of your front door or shutters. Click here for directions on how to paint your front door be sure to use an exterior paint.

If your roof is older than 15 years, have it inspected for damage.

If you have a wood burning fireplace, clean out all ash and have your flue and chimney inspected by a professional. Click here for an article on chimney cleaning and inspecting.

Seal your driveway every two to three years to fill in any cracks and extend the life of the asphalt through winter.

Heat rises so you will want to reverse the direction of your ceiling fan. You want the ceiling fan to create an upward draft that will redistribute warm air from the ceiling.

Change the filter on your humidifier.

Have your heating system checked by a professional. Replace your furnace filter; click here for help from Consumer Reports.

Pick up yard waste and leaves. Remove dead and old plants and add some beautiful Chrysanthemums in their place.

Cooler nights and shorter amounts of daylight means that fall is coming. What thoughts come to mind when you think of fall? Sweaters, warm tea, natural colors? The first word I think of is “cozy” because we are more apt to be spending time indoors and what’s the best way to achieve this comfort level in our home? By adding colors and accessories of the season to warm up and create a cozy environment.

Here are five quick home decorating tips to help you create a warm and cozy feel:

Consider the items you already own and decide what you want to keep and what you want to replace.

Pick a “pop” color or a complementary color and decide that color will be the focus color in the room. For some fall inspiration on color combinations, click here for examples from HGTV.

You can mix textures and fabric types and maintain the unifying color. For example, you may choose a lovely fall orange as your cozy pop of color this autumn. You could use an orange pillow of satin and a plush throw, or a thick orange knit pillow and a chenille orange throw.

Once you have chosen the color combination, you’re ready to go shopping.

Pick out pillows, a throw, and candles or accessories in that color to bring together three items to create a balance in your room. The accessory could be a glass vase, a coffee table tray, or a collectible.

Fun Tip: What’s In Style Now

I recently was hitting a couple of my standard go-to shopping spots for accessories and after visiting both Pier 1 and Home Goods saw many beautiful faux fur throws and pillows that would be stunning in any style. And what says cozy better than faux fur! This fall there is a lovely mix of textures combining different fabrics such as velvet or a woven knit. I’ve also seen many throw-back looks from the 70s that include fringing of all kinds and in beautiful fall shades of red and orange. They are also mixing metallics with the pillows as embellishments or beading. You will see items incorporating brushed brass or dark gray-silver.

The transition from summer to fall always comes with mixed emotions for me. I love the beach and enjoy all of the summer time fun and activities. As we transition from summer to fall, the cooler temperatures offer us the opportunity to complete projects that are challenging to complete over summer. With that in mind, I wanted to supply you with a check list for your summer to fall home maintenance.

Here is your summer to fall home maintenance check list:

Clean out your gutters of all debris and dirt.

Do your shutters or front door need a fresh look? With the cooler temperatures, autumn is the best time for exterior paint jobs.

Check your mailbox, does it need to be painted or replaced? Is your address correctly displayed?

Trim out trees and do general yard clean up. Autumn is the time of year to do your leaf clean up and check your county for yard-waste pick up dates so you can plan accordingly. To help you, click here for a video from Home Depot to better understand how to prune properly.

All of your summer pots are probably looking sad by now, consider replacing dead and dying annuals with fall foliage such as lovely colored mums.

Fun tip: Fall is a great time to purchase wood as places such as Lumber Liquidators offer great deals! Now may be the time to build that pergola you’ve always wanted! For some tips, click here to view instructions and ideas from HGTV.

For all of your home decorating, color questions, or home staging needs give Debbie at call 610.955.8202 for an appointment! If you are interested in starting your own Interior Redesign and Home Staging business, click here to learn more about an amazing hands-on opportunity with Debbie.

On the east coast in November with less sunlight and a chilly wind you want your home to be warm and cozy. What have you done to create a warm and inviting space in your home to keep out the chill? Here are a few decorating ideas to bring a nice cozy glow!

Pillows and Throws

The comfortable accessories that turn a plain couch into a warm and inviting couch can make a big difference to the feel of a room. For example, by adding a lovely soft throw such as this chevron patterned throw from Pier1.com you can quickly add a warm feel. In the photo above are examples of beautiful warm pillow ideas also from Pier1.com. Don’t be afraid to mix different textures and fabric to match your warm and cozy color theme.

Paint

When you think of warm colors, what comes to mind? Generally, any combination that reminds you of the sun or sunset! As noted in ApartmentTherapy.com, “The reds, oranges, yellows and all the off whites that tend to this direction possess all the qualities of warmth in that they are hot, stimulating and soothing to our emotions, which crave warmth.” If you have a large room and you wish to make it feel cozier, paint it a warm color to help draw you in.

Seating Area

Too often the first trouble area I notice when I walk into a room is how the furniture is arranged. I find people like to align furniture with walls which can make for expansive open areas that are not connected. These areas are not only cold and uninviting, but they make it difficult to carry on a conversation. When you set up a room, you want to think in terms of conversation areas. If you can’t hear the person you’re talking to, then the space is too far apart! When setting up, your seating pieces consider creating circles of conversational areas. I have found this change alone can make a very large impact on how a space feels and is used.

Fireplace and Candles

What says warmth more than a burning fire? Many people have fireplaces in their home but do not like to use them, a fabulous alternative is using a fireplace grate that doubles as a candle holder. (Photo and idea from PlowandHearth.com.)

If you do not have a fireplace in your home, you can create a faux look by constructing your own fireplace surround (this encompasses the whole fireplace frame, e.g., mantel, molding, etc.), click here for those instructions. There are several options from purchasing a fireplace surround from your local home store, such as Home Depot or Lowes or going to a salvage company and picking up a mantel and surround from an antique store. There is also the option to put an electric fireplace into an existing fireplace, or purchase a stand alone unit that gives the look and feel without the mess of wood or the venting issues of gas. (Please do your research if you choose to convert an existing fireplace into a gas fireplace that it is properly vented outside and not inside your house.) Click here for ideas from ElectricFireplacesDirect.com for electric inserts or stand alone options.

Stay warm this fall and cozy up with a nice cup of tea and a good book!

I love fall on the east coast! The changing colors and variety of nature and less humidity! In the spirit of this beautiful season, here are some ideas on stylish fall home decorations.

This is a beautiful effect from BHG.com, metallic pastel pumpkins! By spray painting with gray, tan or white iridescent paint, you can add iridescent glitter and create a shimmering pumpkin to add to your table display or mantle!

This is a stunning effect that can be made by stenciling pumpkins with adhesive stencils. Very easy to complete after painting the pumpkin a muted color if you want a stencil to pop, or leave the pumpkin its original color and use pretty paint colors. (Photo and idea from BHG.com.)

Here is a similar idea to the pumpkins; these candles have been decorated with leaf stencils, which is a beautiful idea! This idea is from MarthaStewart.com, click here for directions. If you want to make similar candles with dried or fresh flowers, click here for instructions from CountryLiving.com.

To create a simple look for your table setting, simply create a whole in a small pumpkin and place a taper shaped candle for an instant fall candle holder for the table, or anywhere! (Photo and idea from MarthaStewart.com.)

This is a gorgeous statement piece that I think would be beautiful on a large pumpkin! By using cut out leaves from your local craft store, you can easily glue them onto a painted pumpkin for a finished look. (Photo and idea from GoodHouseKeeping.com.)

I love mixing natural textures with color as in this photo from PotteryBarn.com where gold damask pumpkins are mixed with twine created pumpkin shapes. I love using gold in my décor and interspersing the color into an arrangement or setting adds richness to a look. Using these small gold pumpkins (from PotteryBarn.com) is such a delightful way to achieve the sparkly look of gold without having too much gold.

Check out this display of stunning orange mercury glass pumpkins from PotteryBarn.com, mixing this with the gold, natural items, and candles make for a completed look that will wow all of your guests!

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Meet Debbie

Hi! I'm Debbie, and this site is inspired by my love for creating beautiful homes! I have always been interested in interior design and love sharing my success stories with current and future re-designers! I am always amazed with what we can create in a home using what we already own! If you have any questions or are interested in information about a Home Staging and Training course feel free to email me or apply on Redesignright.com
Thanks and happy decorating!Debbie Correale - FRSR, RESA, IDS, ADE FRSR Certified Redesigner/ Home Stager + Professional Trainer, RESA Redesign + Home Staging Training Provider